Sleeping Sun
by LimitlessFantasy
Summary: Takes place in the modern day. Seto Kaiba and Kisara discover their hidden feelings for one another, and they will have to go through a series of trials to see if they are meant to be...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.**

**I write this following the Japanese anime, meaning that all characters/Duel monsters will have their Japanese names. The "Millennium Items" will be replaced with "Sennen Items", Joey will be Jonouchi, Téa will be Anzu, Tristan = Honda, and so on... **

**This is my Seto Kaiba x Kisara fanfiction, but it will revolve around a bit more than just the two of them.****  
****So, these events take place after the Duelist Kingdom arc, but before Legendary Heroes. Kaiba remains the World Champion of Duel Monsters. The Duelist Kingdom tournament has been held, but Pegasus did not use it as a cover-up to steal the Sennen Puzzle, it was just a regular tournament. Meaning neither Kaiba, Mokuba nor Sugoroku Mutou had their souls taken. Pegasus did kidnap Mokuba though, and while him and Yugi faced off in the finals (which did not include a Dark Game) Kaiba rescued Mokuba. So see it as a regular tournament without any occult-based events. (As Seto Kaiba would put it.) xD Pegasus still owns the Sennen Eye though; and yes, he can read people's minds with it.**

**In this story, neither Kisara nor Kaiba has any connection to Ancient Egypt. Kisara has no connection to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon either. Though she _has_ a somewhat alike "mental" connection to another Duel Monster, something that will be clear as the story progresses.**

**Oh, and also; when the story's written out of any character's perspective but Yugi's, they will always be addressing him as "Yugi" but in moments such as Duels, or moments filled with tension and/or other feels like that; it will be Yami whom they are talking to. And when the story is read out of Kisara's perspective, she always addresses Kaiba with "Seto". Every other character (well, except Mokuba) calls him by his surname. Please keep these things in mind as you read. ^^**

***drumroll* So without any further ado... Here's chapter one! :D**

**_Chapter one - Your past is history_**

Domino City High School in Japan.

The classroom was nearly empty, with the exception of a few students who were watching their classmates entertain themselves with a game of Duel Monsters. Only one student sat by himself near a corner, reading a book. He occasionally threw a few glances at the Dueling teenagers across the room, eyeing them and their moves. He heard Yugi call out, "Jonouchi, hey, it's your move!" to later hear Jonouchi reply, "There Yugi, Flaming Swordsman in Attack mode, beat that if you can!"

Seto Kaiba rolled his eyes and returned to reading the novel he was holding in his hands. The childish ways of Yugi Mutou and his friends made him sick.

As if Jonouchi Katsuya could ever be a proper Duelist… He doubted he'd be able to duel his way out of a paper bag.

Kaiba glanced once again at their direction and caught sight of the whole nerd herd: Yugi, Jonouchi, Anzu, Honda and Bakura.

Kaiba saw Yugi glance over at his direction and their eyes met for the tiniest fraction of a second before Kaiba looked away, returning to his book.

"Yugi Mutou"… pfft… what a pathetic excuse for a Duelist.

Sure, he may have a Black Magician in his Deck, and Kaiba had to admit that he was a fairly good Duelist, as he'd seen him Duel countless times at the recesses, but he doubted Yugi would ever beat him. After all… Kaiba put his book away, thrust his hand down his pocket, and picked up his Deck.

Kaiba went through his cards, his powerful and trusted Deck, the sounds of Yugi and his friends only slightly audible as he searched his Deck for the cards that had helped him the most in becoming the World Champion of Duel Monsters.

There they were…

His three precious Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

He was the only one in the entire world who could claim worship on these powerful and beautiful cards. They had never lost him a single Duel.

Eyeing his cards, Kaiba heard footsteps coming from the door, and without looking up from his Deck he guessed it was one of the students whose name he'd never bothered to learn who'd come to watch Yugi's Duel with the mutt.

But the sound of this person's footsteps only got closer and closer to him. He didn't bother to look up until he heard a chair slowly being dragged out next to him, and he heard a soft female's voice address him with, "Hi, Seto."

* * *

The rare use of his first name caused Seto Kaiba to look up, and he saw her. Kisara.

His childhood friend whom he'd met at the orphanage years ago, and whom he'd helped escape once he'd bought the company from Gozaburo Kaiba.

They'd met at the orphanage and had started spending their days together, along with Mokuba.

Seto and Kisara were the same age, and due to the fact that they had gotten along really well as kids, they had just kept floating along as school began for both of them, a few years after their first meeting.

Kaiba remembered how happy him and Mokuba had felt at finally getting a real father, but they had also felt sad about leaving Kisara alone at the orphanage.

Little had they known that their new "father" would make their lives a living hell. Kaiba forced himself to get rid of the disgusting flashbacks of his past that had appeared in his mind, so he nodded wordlessly at Kisara, his usual way of saying hello.

Kisara now sat down next to him.

"My class finished a bit earlier, so I decided I'd pay you a visit."

He remained silent, and he could feel her eyes on him before she asked, "So what are you up to?" Kaiba once again nodded wordlessly towards his Deck, and Kisara let out a sound of understanding.

"You sure like those Dragons, don't you?" she asked, making a motion with her hand towards his Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards.

"Well, if you've ever seen me Duel, and I know you have, you ought to know by now that these cards are the most powerful I own." Kaiba responded, now looking up at Kisara, wearing a small grin on his face. Kisara smiled slightly, looking at the group of students on the other side of the room out of the corner of her eye.

Kisara noticed how the blond boy named Jonouchi Katsuya was watching her discreetly from across the room, but he very soon returned to the card game he was playing with Yugi.

She watched the group's enthusiastic cheers and cries as Yugi's monster apparently took out Jonouchi's, and her lips pulled themselves into a very light, almost unnoticeable smile as Jonouchi jumped up from his chair, flailing his arms around, roaring protests at Yugi while the others laughed heartily.

Kisara looked back at Kaiba, who had returned to sorting his Deck before putting it back into his school uniform pocket.

He then put his book back into his satchel before getting up of his chair, its legs scraping against the plastic green floor as Kisara rose as well.

Yugi and his friends had gone quiet, and she could feel their eyes on them as they both left the classroom.

Kaiba and Kisara walked silently side by side out to the schoolyard, sitting down on a bench in the sunlight. It was a fine day; the sun was shining, but it wasn't excessively hot.

There was not a cloud in the sky, although it was a bit windy, and here and there kids were running around carrying freshly bought Duel Disks on their left forearms, screaming as a card occasionally got caught up in the wind and decided to go for a wild trip away from its owner's hand.

Kisara tucked her long white hair behind her ears before she looked at Kaiba, who had returned to his book.

Sometimes she wondered if there was anything more between them than just the ties of friendship.

But she often ended up knocking that thought away.

It was nothing she wished for, and even though Seto was a man of very few words, she had known him for such a long time that she was certain he only saw her as a friend.

Other people would think that Kaiba was being really cold for never replying to what Kisara ever said, but she knew he listened, and to her, that was enough.

She knew he cared.

Once, back at the orphanage, just days after Seto had bought the company from Gozaburo, he had once dragged her off and told her of the abuse his stepfather had put him through and the scars he'd gotten from it.

She remembered how incredibly sad she had felt upon hearing this, and when he had finished his story, she remembered that she had gently put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

She also remembered how his whole body had tensed up at the sudden hug, as if he had never known what it was like to hug or be hugged.

A few seconds had passed before he, very slowly, had put his arms around her back and given her a very stiff hug in return.

And here they sat, seven years later, side by side, Seto silently buried in his book as usual, and Kisara beside him.

Time seemed to be at potential standstill until the bell tolled, causing masses of students to well out of the building, quickly vanishing past the school gates.

Seto put his book away before standing up, slowly walking toward the gates.

Kisara got up to walk alongside him, and asked, "What are you doing this afternoon?"

He remained silent for a really long time, and Kisara didn't look at Seto until they had walked out of the school bounds.

Seto had now picked up the pace, he was walking briskly with his head held high, looking straight forward.

She thought she heard him stifle a sigh before he said, "Kisara, you know I am a busy man. Being the head executive of your own company kind of limits the amount of free time you can utilise at doing things that _doesn't _involve running a billionaire gaming company, you know."

"Oh… right…" Kisara said, feeling at a loss for words.

There was something about Seto that made her underestimate his way of speaking.

Seeing as he didn't really speak much, people would often assume that Seto kept quiet because of lack of social skills.

But he just preferred to stay quiet until the right time; he would listen to what his opponent had to say, go through it in the blink of an eye, and then retaliate with a force that usually left the opponent speechless.

"_Only one of the many skills he's probably required as the successful businessman he is._" Kisara thought.

"I guess running the world's largest gaming company forces you to learn a thing or two about living a busy life…" she added, turning her head to look at him once again.

He smiled grimly before nodding, looking at the ground.

A few seconds passed before Seto spoke again, "And I promised Mokuba I'd spend some time with him this afternoon."

He said it in a low voice, more to himself than for Kisara to hear, she noticed, as he was looking down at the ground as he walked, his back being slightly crouched.

This was very unlike the egocentric, self-confident Seto Kaiba she knew.

* * *

But Mokuba, Seto's 11-year old younger brother, could be a sensitive subject.

Mokuba was so different from Seto that it was almost absurd. Mokuba was a happy, innocent little kid who spent his free time watching the TV or helping his older brother run KaibaCorp.

He would do anything to help Seto, though the latter often turned down or even refused his requests of offered help.

Seto, on the other hand, was strict and harsh, never trusted anyone but himself, never showed any emotion, and spent his days, apart from school that was, glued to his laptop, discussing business with different gaming companies all over Japan.

And if he wasn't at his laptop he was either stuck in phone calls or sitting in meetings with different businessmen. Kisara had to admit that Seto was very, very skilled, being the CEO of a huge world-known company. The mere word "business" made her own head spin with complexity.

As they reached the base of KaibaCorp, the tallest building in Domino City, they saw a very short figure with black, untidy hair run towards them, dressed in a yellow vest, a white-and-blue striped shirt, a pair of blue jeans and sneakers.

Kisara looked away on purpose as Mokuba threw himself at Kaiba, hugging him around the waist, crying out, "Hi, Nii-sama!"

Kisara knew, without looking, that Seto probably was feeling rather awkward, people showing affection to one another wasn't his strongest side; she could bet that most people thought Seto had never even felt affection towards another living creature.

But Kisara knew that Mokuba meant everything to Seto, and if she hadn't meant anything to him back at the orphanage; then why would he had have saved her in the first place?

Seto ruffled Mokuba's hair, though his face hardly showed any happiness or positive emotion at seeing his younger brother.

"Hi, Kisara!" Mokuba added as he broke free of the hug.

"Hello, Mokuba." Kisara replied with a smile. She liked Seto's younger raven-haired brother.

Sometimes she went with Seto to KaibaCorp after school, and while he would have been stuck in his office, she would have played with Mokuba.

Although the two brothers lived in the Kaiba Mansion outside of Domino City, Mokuba had his own room on the top floor next to Seto's office, stuffed with different toys and video-games, paid for by Seto, so that Mokuba could bide his time while his older brother was working. Sometimes they even lived in the KaibaCorp building.

"I have to go now, I'll see you later!" Kisara waved at Seto, and Seto nodded wordlessly, his way of saying goodbye to her.

Oddly enough he couldn't stop looking at Kisara as she walked away, and he felt an oddly sinking feeling in his stomach at her departure.

Wow, something must be seriously wrong with him.

* * *

"Come on Nii-sama, you said we'd play at my Playstation when you got home from school! You promised!"

Mokuba kept pulling at Kaiba's school uniform, dragging him through the corridors of KaibaCorp, and Kaiba almost had to start running in order to keep up with his younger brother.

"Mokuba, slow down, your Playstation won't die from lack of use." Kaiba responded in his usual bitter voice, though he felt a slight amusement at Mokuba's behaviour.

It wasn't often Mokuba was this cheerful, and Kaiba knew it had to do with the promise he had made him; that they would spend the afternoon together, with Kaiba being free from all kinds of phone calls or meetings.

"_It might actually be worth it…_" Kaiba thought as he grabbed the controller, sinking down in one of the enormous beanbags that lay on the floor in Mokuba's room.

Seeing Mokuba laughed as he utterly annihilated Kaiba's soldiers on the screen made Kaiba feel very odd on the insides.

* * *

The hours flew by until it was almost midnight.

Mokuba had only fallen asleep after having begged Kaiba to come up with a goodnight story containing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon eating Jonouchi and Yugi alive.

At last, Kaiba had sat down in his office on the top floor, hoping to be able to do some work before he went to sleep.

He hadn't gotten anything done today, after all.

Now was his time to compensate for all those hours he'd spent with Mokuba.

He had to admit that he had enjoyed his afternoon with Mokuba, but work had always been present in the back of his head. As it always was these days.

Mokuba kept telling him that he worked way too much, and that he would definitely develop a burn-out if he kept going the way he did.

Kaiba could literally hear his brother's voice echoing in his head.

"_Nii-sama, the way you just sit and type on your laptop all day… it's bad for you! Go and do something else for a change, please, Nii-sama? You could ask Isono to cover for you a little bit…?" _

But Kaiba just snorted at the idea.

Him? Overworked?

Please, give it a rest.

The only reason he'd gotten as far as he had in life was thanks to his determination and hard work.

He secretly appreciated Mokuba's concern, but his little brother didn't seem to realise that Kaiba was responsible enough to care for his own life, and with that, his own health. If he started slacking, he would lose all he had gained from being so resolute.

So the least he could do was to reply to some e-mails he knew was probably resting in his inbox, having been sent from various workers or managers.

"_If it's another employee asking for pay raise, then I swear I'll fire all of them._" Kaiba thought with a deep, mental sigh.

It was very dark outside the large windows behind him, hundreds of tiny golden lights emanating from either street lamps or households. From where he was sitting, it was nearly impossible to tell which was which.

Kaiba leaned onto his desk with his elbows, rubbing his nose bridge between his thumb and his index finger.

He had really been hoping to get some work done. The thought of it seemed impossible though, as his eyelids kept growing heavier and heavier by the minute.

"_Damn those video-games…_" he thought as the tiny soldiers from Mokuba's game kept swimming around on the black computer screen in front of his eyes.

Kaiba then flinched as he thought back on the evening.

As he had sat there, playing videogames with Mokuba, he had actually experienced a feeling which he hadn't remembered in nearly ten years.

Happiness.

It struck him like a bolt from the blue.

The last time he remembered being really happy was back at the orphanage, back when he had spent his days playing with Mokuba, before Gozaburo adopted them.

Back then he'd also met Kisara… And the two of them had spent their days together with Mokuba...

Kaiba shuddered.

He found that he had been thinking of Kisara for a few seconds, when his fingers went up to touch his cheek.

Why the hell was it so warm?! And how come he'd felt so oddly peaceful and content thinking of her?

What the hell, he didn't have _time_ to feel happy, he had a company to run!

Besides, all of that was in the past, something he couldn't afford to look back on.

His past was nothing but a black hole filled with torment, anger and hatred.

If he gazed into it for too long, the hole could threaten to swallow him whole, and then there would be no escape out of the darkness of his past.

No, he had to look ahead, to the future.

The past was something he couldn't change, no matter how hard he tried.

But he still had the power to shape his own future… Despite that, Kaiba kept thinking on his evening with Mokuba, and had he been…

Wait, had he actually _laughed_?

Not the kind of evil, vengeful laughter that sometimes escaped him, but actually a happy laughter…?

Kaiba groaned and slapped his forehead with his palm.

What the hell had happened to him?

He let out a deep sigh and for a moment, he heard Gozaburo Kaiba's voice inside his head.

"_Always stay on your guard, Seto. You mustn't allow yourself to show weakness to anyone. Not even family. Trust no one but yourself." _

Kaiba shook his head determinedly; the old man was long gone, and it was_ he_, Seto Kaiba, who was in charge over KaibaCorp now.

He stifled a yawn before unlocking his computer from its sleep mode.

Time to get to work.

But as he later was lying on his back staring up at the dark ceiling of his four-poster bed trying to go to sleep, the one thing that bothered him; was that he couldn't.

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.**

**I write this following the Japanese anime, meaning that all characters/Duel monsters will have their Japanese names. The "Millennium Items" will be replaced with "Sennen Items", Joey will be Jonouchi, Téa will be Anzu, Tristan = Honda, and so on... **

**This is my Seto Kaiba x Kisara fanfiction, but it will revolve around a bit more than just the two of them.  
So, these events take place after the Duelist Kingdom arc, but before Legendary Heroes. Kaiba remains the World Champion of Duel Monsters. The Duelist Kingdom tournament has been held, but Pegasus did not use it as a cover-up to steal the Sennen Puzzle, it was just a regular tournament. Meaning neither Kaiba, Mokuba nor Sugoroku Mutou had their souls taken. Pegasus did kidnap Mokuba though, and while him and Yugi faced off in the finals (which did not include a Dark Game) Kaiba rescued Mokuba. So see it as a regular tournament without any occult-based events. (As Seto Kaiba would put it.) xD Pegasus still owns the Sennen Eye though; and yes, he can read people's minds with it.**

**In this story, neither Kisara nor Kaiba has any connection to Ancient Egypt. Kisara has no connection to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon either. Though she **_**has**_** a somewhat alike "mental" connection to another Duel Monster, something that will be clear as the story progresses.**

**Oh, and also; when the story's written out of any character's perspective but Yugi's, they will always be addressing him as "Yugi" but in moments such as Duels, or moments filled with tension and/or other feels like that; it will be Yami whom they are talking to. And when the story is read out of Kisara's perspective, she always addresses Kaiba with "Seto". Every other character (well, except Mokuba) calls him by his surname. Please keep these things in mind as you read. ^^**

**So now that all my rambling is _finally_ over; here's chapter two for you guys! Hope you enjoy! :D**

**_Chapter two – An unexpected invitation_**

Yugi woke up the next morning, the Sennen Puzzle hanging in its usual metal chain around his neck.

He stretched and yawned, before he noticed Yami sitting at the edge of his bed, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Good morning, Yugi." he said, smiling. "Morning, Yami." Yugi replied, sitting up, stretching a second time.

"Seems you slept well." Yami said in an amused tone, watching Yugi get up and out of bed.

"Very." Yugi replied as he began stumbling towards his wardrobe, pulling out some clothes. Today he decided to go for a blue shirt and a pair of jeans.

Right in the middle of dressing, he heard his Grandpa shouting from the bottom floor, "YUGI! There's a letter in the mail that's been addressed to you!"

Yugi hurriedly pulled his shirt over his head, adjusting the puzzle as Yami escaped into it, and as he hurtled down the staircase he heard Yami ask him, inside of his mind, "_Are you expecting a letter from someone?_"

"_No, no one at all…_" Yugi replied hesitantly.

He jumped past the last four steps, opened the door that led to the shop and rushed towards his Grandpa's desk, where he often took care of the customers.

He found a white envelope with his name written on it, and quickly tore it open, full of curiosity. Who could have sent him a letter as spontaneously as this? Yugi felt Yami's mind nudge his as they both started studying the letter, Yami reading it through Yugi's eyes.

"_Dear Yugi Mutou,__  
__I suspect that you must be feeling quite honoured having received a letter from me, Pegasus himself.__  
__You are not the only one though. I have invited three other Duelists along with yourself to my private island, namely Duelist Kingdom.__  
__I hope you will all accept my invitation, and that you will find your visit extraordinarily charming. The reason for my invitation will be clear when you arrive.__  
__If you don't, the consequences might be slightly… unpleasant.__  
__I have taken the liberty of sending a privately charted plane for the four of you; it leaves the Domino City airport at exactly one p.m. So you better be there, Yugi-boy!_

_Yours truly,__  
__Pegasus J. Crawford, founder and owner of Industrial Illusions"_

"_Yugi…? Hey, Yugi, you still there?_" It was only as Yugi heard Yami's voice inside his head as he realised that he'd done nothing but stare at the letter in his hands during the last five minutes.

Yugi dug his hand into the envelope, and to his surprise, he found a flying ticket with his name and today's date printed on it.

This was… weird. Why would Pegasus call him and three other Duelists privately to his island?

Yugi remembered back when Pegasus had announced his Duelist Kingdom Tournament a few months ago, when Yugi had ended up in the first place, and Jonouchi had come second. Back when Pegasus had kidnapped Mokuba because he wanted Kaiba to give up KaibaCorp to him.

Thankfully, Yugi and Yami had managed to defeat Pegasus together in a Duel, and Kaiba had rescued his younger brother.

Did Pegasus have another evil plan in store for them? And who were the three other Duelists he had mentioned?

Yugi had only just asked himself the question when the door to the Game Shop was slammed open, revealing Jonouchi standing at the threshold, panting heavily.

Too exhausted to talk, he held up the envelope in his hand. An envelope that looked eerily familiar to the one Yugi had just received.

"Jonouchi! Are you going to Duelist Kingdom too?!" Yugi cried out. Jonouchi merely nodded, still too out of breath to be able to speak.

* * *

"So, any idea who the other two Duelists are?" Jonouchi asked Yugi a few hours later as they made their way towards the airport with the help of a taxi.

Yugi shook his head, because even though he had a hunch of who _one_ of the Duelists could be, he didn't want to ruin Jonouchi's day.

"_Maybe that person will do it himself_ _as soon as we arrive_." Yugi thought as Yami nudged him mentally, causing them to switch minds.

As the taxi closed in on the airport, they saw that a whole bunch of airplanes stood ready for take-off.

"I wonder what plane we'll be flying in?" Jonouchi asked eagerly as they took in the view of the planes.

"There's your answer." Yami said, pointing through the car window.

Standing a bit off from the other planes out at the runway was a huge plane that looked considerably bigger than the others.

It was white with broad wings, and had "_Industrial Illusions" _written in red, cursive writing all over one of its sides.

The taxi stopped in front of one of the entrances to the airport, and as Jonouchi payed the driver, Yugi picked up their luggage from the trunk of the car, and they both started making their way through the airport.

As they walked through the terminal, Jonouchi stopped at a large window, leaning against it, gawking at the plane outside.

"Check out that plane, Yugi! It's huge!" he exclaimed in amazement, a gleeful look on his face.

"Well, you better enjoy the moment then, Katsuya, because I bet that's the only luxurious thing you'll ever experience in your pitiful life." a sneering voice called from behind them.

Yami looked at Jonouchi, whose face had twisted into a mask of anger.

Jonouchi quickly wheeled around, facing Seto Kaiba and Kisara, Kaiba dressed in his usual white trench coat, carrying his grey suitcase, and Kisara wearing a black dress with a pair of black high heels.

Her long, white hair in contrast to her dark outfit made her look somewhat ghost-like, and in comparison to Kaiba's white trench-coat, they both looked like some wicked parody of Ying and Yang.

"Kaiba." Yami began, causing Kaiba to quickly wheel his head towards Yami.

"Where's Mokuba?" Yami asked.

Kaiba snorted before replying, "Yugi, you know Mokuba's no Duelist, so he's staying here in Domino City, guarding my company along with my employees. If you've actually read that letter Pegasus sent, even you would have understood that he invited four _Duelists_, four _skilled_ Duelists, and not four non-Dueling people."

Yami nodded, suspecting that there was more than one reason behind the fact that Kaiba hadn't allowed Mokuba to come with him to Duelist Kingdom. Mokuba meant a whole lot to Kaiba, and Yami guessed that Kaiba wouldn't want to put Mokuba into any danger.

Kaiba then turned to Jonouchi. "Though I suspect there must've been a grave mistake of some sort, since Katsuya's here too…"

Kaiba glared at Jonouchi, who took one step closer to him.

"Kaiba…" he began threateningly, but Kaiba interrupted him.

"Spare me the insults; it's not as if they're going to change the fact that I'm a far better Duelist than you."

Kaiba smirked before he turned and started walking down the terminal, Kisara at his side.

"You just watch me, Kaiba!" Jonouchi roared after him.

"Once this Pegasus-thingy is over then I'll Duel you and show you I can easily beat you, I was second runner-up in Duelist Kingdom, you know!"

Jonouchi's loud shouting had caused several people to turn their heads towards him, but Kaiba just glanced over his shoulder before he grinned and continued walking.

Even after Kaiba and Kisara had passed around a corner, Jonouchi was still breathing heavily, when Yami faced him.

"Jonouchi, this is exactly how he _wants _you to react, you need to calm down. Think of Shizuka."

Jonouchi's face got stoned as Yami mentioned his sister, before he said weakly, "Right… I'm dueling for her…"

"Precisely." Yami said. "So let go of this Kaiba nonsense and let's go." He took a quick glance at the huge clock that sat on the wall behind them.

"We better go, the plane takes off in 20 minutes."

Jonouchi nodded, and they both hurried to pick up their luggage before jogging down the terminal.

* * *

"Who knew you were a Duelist?" Seto asked Kisara as they'd gotten seated inside of the plane.

They sat the on the seats in the left front row, while Yugi and Jonouchi had taken the seats in the far back.

Both parties had persisted not sitting too close to the other one, which left the plane looking comically empty.

They were both going through their Decks as Seto was eyeing Kisara out of the corner of his eye.

"Does that matter? Do you doubt my skills as a Duelist?" Kisara replied, raising her eyebrows.

Seto was quiet for a moment, during which they heard the plane's engines getting started, a dull, vibrating sound beneath them. The plane drove out onto the run-way, now driving forward in a straight line.

Seto then said, "I was thinking more about the fact that I've never seen you Duel before, and we've known each other for years."

Kisara looked out the window, watching the scenery outside pass by faster and faster as the plane started gathering speed. Then they felt themselves being pressed backwards for a split second as the plane lifted into the air.

"Kisara?" Seto asked intriguingly as the plane quickly gained altitude.

Kisara sighed, going back to the Deck in her lap before she said, "I have two theories as to why you've never seen me Duel. One is because your quite oversized ego has kept you from realising what's going on around you. My second theory consists of the fact that I have been quite secretive about it. Both theories sound very believable to me."

Kisara looked at Seto and gave him an innocent smile. Seto's eyes narrowed, but he muttered, "Do continue."

Kisara chuckled, before she looked at him, asking: "You don't even know where or how I live, right?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but froze, closing it again, realising that she was, indeed, speaking the truth.

Kisara had never, during all the years they'd known each other, mentioned her way of living; and he had never bothered to ask.

Kaiba felt a sickening feeling in his stomach, something he guessed had to be guilt.

Kisara's question had come like a real surprise to him, he really hadn't expected her to ask such a thing.

Kaiba couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this way, which maybe was a good thing, because he really disliked that feeling of something churning endlessly in his gut, it was like a constant reminder of how careless he must've seemed to Kisara. He was too busy feeling shocked over that fact, that he actually didn't realise that the feelings that were going through his mind right now was feelings of caring and guilt.

Kisara, who was unaware of Kaiba's inner trauma, continued speaking, "After you freed me from that orphanage, you immediately went off to start conducting KaibaCorp, and I had nowhere to go. I would sleep out in the streets; still, I was happier, a _lot_ happier than I'd been at the orphanage. You saved me from that awful place."

"As I roamed the streets, I quickly snapped up this card game called 'Duel Monsters' that seemed to be immensely popular. So when night had fallen I would sneak into different schoolyards, picking up cards that students had eventually forgotten or lost. That way, I created my own Deck."

"Then I started entering tournaments, small ones, in which they offered prize money to the competitors. I made sure to alter my appearance temporarily as much as possible, and I got myself a fake name, so that neither you nor anyone else would figure out my real identity in case the tournaments ever were to be broadcast."

Kisara looked out the window again, staying quiet for a while, as Seto just looked at her with wide eyes.

"That way I slowly started climbing my way to the top. Don't get me wrong Seto; I didn't do this to earn fame, but to earn money, to buy a place to live. I started entering larger tournaments, continental ones, in order to get more money."

Kisara now turned to Seto. "So when the first year of school started for both of us I knew we'd meet again, but I still made sure to keep my Dueling skills a secret. At last I managed to buy myself a small house right in the middle of Domino City, that's where I live. It's quite small, but it's enough for me. It lies hidden amongst all the large skyscrapers, so no one notices it."

Kisara let out a sigh, looking down at her Deck as she began sorting it.

Seto still looked at her, eyes wide; he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

"Last week I managed to get my hands on one of your newly produced Duel Disks, and let me tell you, they work brilliantly!"

Kisara smiled at Seto, before her facial expression turned serious, and they both stayed quiet for a while, the tension between them evident.

"Seto, I don't want you to think badly of me now that I've told you all this." Kisara began, looking at him. "Truth to be told, I haven't lost any Duel since I first got into Dueling. Back then I couldn't afford losing even a single one."

"Seto, don't you see?! I HAD to get good at Dueling, whether I wanted to or not, it was my only way of making a living! I didn't have any family or people who could take care of me, I only had myself!"

Kisara leaned back into her seat, closing her eyes.

Kaiba still remained quiet, glancing out the window.

They were at level with the clouds now, and everywhere he looked outside the small round windows, he saw nothing but white, misty fog.

"I'm sorry for throwing all this at you so suddenly." Kisara said quietly, looking sideways at him. "I suppose it must be somewhat of a shock to you."

She closed her eyes again, and Kaiba muttered, "It's fine." putting his Deck in his pocket.

He put his hand down the suitcase by his feet and picked up his book, starting to read it. A few minutes passed before he felt something softly thudding against his left shoulder.

He glanced down, seeing Kisara's head resting on his shoulder, and judging from her breathing, she'd fallen asleep.

Kaiba looked down at her for a few seconds, before he decided to let her remain asleep as he returned to his book.

But what was this funny, strange feeling in his gut, and how come his cheeks were so warm?

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.**

**I write this following the Japanese anime, meaning that all characters/Duel monsters will have their Japanese names. The "Millennium Items" will be replaced with "Sennen Items", Joey will be Jonouchi, Téa will be Anzu, Tristan = Honda, and so on... **

**This is my Seto Kaiba x Kisara fanfiction, but it will revolve around a bit more than just the two of them.****So, these events take place after the Duelist Kingdom arc, but before Legendary Heroes. Kaiba remains the World Champion of Duel Monsters. The Duelist Kingdom tournament has been held, but Pegasus did not use it as a cover-up to steal the Sennen Puzzle, it was just a regular tournament. Meaning neither Kaiba, Mokuba nor Sugoroku Mutou had their souls taken. Pegasus did kidnap Mokuba though, and while him and Yugi faced off in the finals (which did not include a Dark Game) Kaiba rescued Mokuba. So see it as a regular tournament without any occult-based events. (As Seto Kaiba would put it.) xD Pegasus still owns the Sennen Eye though; and yes, he can read people's minds with it.**

**In this story, neither Kisara nor Kaiba has any connection to Ancient Egypt. Kisara has no connection to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon either. Though she _has_ a somewhat alike "mental" connection to another Duel Monster, something that will be clear as the story progresses.**

**Oh, and also; when the story's written out of any character's perspective but Yugi's, they will always be addressing him as "Yugi" but in moments such as Duels, or moments filled with tension and/or other feels like that; it will be Yami whom they are talking to. And when the story is read out of Kisara's perspective, she always addresses Kaiba with "Seto". Every other character (well, except Mokuba) calls him by his surname. Please keep these things in mind as you read. ^^**

******You would also be very kind as to give me a review of your thoughts!**

**Here's chapter three! Hope you guys enjoy! :)**

_**Chapter three – Pegasus J. Crawford**_

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived at Duelist Kingdom. Please make sure you do not forget any personal belongings as you get off the plane." _

Kisara opened her eyes, sitting straight up. Had she been asleep?

She must have been, because dusk had fallen outside, giving the landscape a calm look.

The plane now stood on solid ground, and she certainly couldn't remember the actual landing itself.

All she remembered was that she had had a calm, happy dream, in which she had rested against something warm and comforting.

She turned to her right to see Seto snap his suitcase shut before he looked at her, handing her black satchel to her while saying "Good thing you woke up, it's time to get off."

Kisara murmured a "thank you", still unable to grasp the situation fully due to fatigue, but she took her satchel from Seto's offering hand, and right as he turned to walk down the aisle, she thought she saw a light blush on his cheeks.

Surprised as to what could've caused him blushing, she followed Seto off the plane.

The cool night air hit her like a wall of bricks, and it had an immediately brisk effect on her.

She looked around to take in the sight of Duelist Kingdom, and saw nothing but forest.

Lush green trees surrounded them everywhere she looked, with the exception of some asphalt-covered piece of ground necessary to make a run-way.

But above all those trees, she spotted a huge beige building, which looked like some sort of mansion, if not a castle.

Jonouchi and Yugi were already standing a few meters off, seemingly holding a conversation with a muscular man in a black suit who was wearing black sunglasses.

"_He looks just like the ideal bodyguard._" Kisara thought as she made her way towards them.

Her assumption had been correct it seemed, for as Seto and Kisara closed in, the man said in a dull, thick voice: "Excellent, all four Duelists are here. Follow me while I will escort you to Mr. Pegasus' castle."

The bodyguard made a gesture with his brawny arm towards the big building in the middle of the island.

He then started walking into the forest, following a clearly manmade path, the other four following him.

Silence lingered among them for a long time, and it suddenly struck Kisara how very quiet the forest was.

The only thing sounding was five pairs of feet crossing soft ground.

As they walked side by side behind the others, carrying their luggage between them, Kisara asked Seto sceptically, "Seto, you've met Pegasus before. Does he really live in a _castle_?"

"Yes." Seto replied, his eyes narrowing the usual way they did when something he disliked came up in a conversation. "And before you meet him, know that he is made of nothing but lies and deceit, and that is exactly what he uses to get to people. Also, he likes to mess with people's heads."

There was a bitterness in Seto's voice as he uttered his last sentence that made Kisara curious as to what he could mean, but as Seto obviously disliked talking about it, she did not press the subject any further.

After a few more quiet seconds, Seto spoke again.

"Sorry for being so cold toward you on the plane, I guess your little story surprised me more than it should have."

She noticed that he didn't look directly at her as he said it, but kept his gaze focused forward.

His tone of voice didn't really sound forgiving either.

Then, by accident, their hands briefly grazed each other, and she felt Seto's warm skin brush against hers. In an instant, she felt her heart starting to race, and she felt her cheeks get unpleasantly warm.

* * *

Okay, What. The. Hell.

Kaiba nearly twitched as he felt his hand brush against Kisara's much smaller one, and he nearly flinched at how cold her skin was.

Cold, but it also felt very soft.

Then he realised his heart was pounding really fast, and he felt the same blush cover his cheeks as it had done back when Kisara unknowingly had rested her head against his shoulder.

At first, he had tried to ignore it, but after a while, he had no longer been able to avoid the evident blush he knew rested on his cheeks; he had noticed that he'd actually _liked_ the feeling of her head resting against him like that; the fact that her body was in contact with his.

He had found that he had wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms, all to ensure she stayed asleep, because she looked so very peaceful doing so.

And now the same feeling came back to him, here, where they were only moments away from facing Pegasus.

This was ridiculous!

Kaiba focused his gaze forward, forcing himself not to look at Kisara where she walked next to him, trying with all his might to make that annoying blush go away.

He was _Seto Kaiba_, for crying out loud!

He couldn't remember ever having blushed _before_ that time on the plane.

He didn't even know why he was blushing, why he was feeling this way, he only knew that he hated it when he couldn't control the situation. He only felt good when he could claim full leadership and authorisation of something.

* * *

Suddenly he noticed that their party had stopped moving, and Kaiba realised that they had reached the bottom of Pegasus' castle.

Only that in order to reach the actual castle itself, they first had to climb a huge set of staircases.

The beefy guy in the suit now spoke.

"Attention Duelists! We have now reached the bottom of Mr. Pegasus' castle."

As if it wasn't clear enough that they were standing in front of a huge set of staircases already, the suit-geek made another exaggerated gesture with his arm, showing them the enormous staircases, clearly gesturing for them to go up the stairs.

Jonouchi gave a huge cry of annoyment, and muttered some inaudible swears as they started climbing the stairs.

"This better be worth something." he said to Yugi. "I hope Pegasus will have invited us to a huge, fancy dinner to make up for this."

Kaiba sighed.

Had the mutt never learnt the art of keeping his mouth shut?

"Jonouchi, this is Pegasus J. Crawford you're talking about. If memory serves me right, and I know it does, you've visited this island before. We both have, so you should have seen this coming." Kaiba said sarcastically.

Kisara laughed at Kaiba's comment, and Kaiba felt that funny, light feeling in his gut again.

He caught her eyes for a second, and she smiled at him.

He quickly looked away, focusing on climbing the stairs, but Kisara's smiling face had somehow managed to imprint itself onto his retinas.

* * *

There. When he looked at her just now, Kisara could've sworn her heart skipped a beat.

Those blue eyes of his… she'd never noticed it before, but it was as if they suddenly possessed the ability to see right through her.

It made her shiver.

Not because of cold, but something she couldn't quite put her finger on…

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Jonouchi crying out as he tripped on a step, and falling forward, his face connected with the stone step with a harsh sound.

Yugi immediately dropped his luggage and ran to Jonouchi's aid, but Kisara and Kaiba just kept walking.

As the two of them reached the top of the stairs they found themselves in front of a huge stone gate, made of the same material as the staircase.

In fact, the whole castle seemed to be made of yellowed, old stone.

As she was the only one never having visited Duelist Kingdom before, Kisara looked around, taking in the view of the island now that they were standing on a higher spot than before.

The whole island consisted of forest, and looking out over the ocean she noticed that the sun had almost set, and the ocean lay still as a blanket.

"It's very beautiful here" she said to Seto, who was also looking out at the ocean.

He nodded, making a sound of agreement, before they both looked down at Yugi and Jonouchi, who were having a nosebleed from having tripped on the staircase, blood pouring out his nose over his mouth.

As they also reached the top of the stairs, Kaiba said, "Jonouchi, I would have helped you to stop the bleeding, but seeing as you are you, I'm afraid you'll have to wait with wiping your face clean until we get inside."

"Stop it, Kaiba." Yugi said, giving Kaiba a look that clearly told him to stay quiet.

Kaiba snorted, then faced the stone gate, lifted the big door-knocker at the centre of it, and beat it three times against the stone.

The sound of it echoed, until the gate slowly opened.

Kisara would have expected for it to be Pegasus himself opening it, but turns out it was only another one of his bodyguards.

He scanned the four of them from behind his black sunglasses, and lifted his dark eyebrows slightly at Jonouchi's messy face, before silently handing him a tissue from inside his tuxedo.

Jonouchi barely had time to say 'thank you' before the bodyguard interrupted, "The four of you are right on time. Walk straight into the castle, then take the first door on your right in the left corridor. Pegasus will be waiting for you there."

By now, all four of them were quite annoyed with the constant directions given to them, so they just pushed their way past the bodyguard, walking through the courtyard of the castle, which had a stone path shaped like a cross, grass occupying the corners of it.

They entered through the main door.

Kisara had had her suspicions, but it wasn't until she really saw the insides of Pegasus' castle that she realised that they had now been confirmed.

Everything was polished and fancy, and this "castle" seemed to be a cover-up for the world's largest indoor maze there ever was.

Corridors everywhere and everything looked exactly the same.

However, following the instructions they'd gotten from the bodyguard, the group started walking into the left corridor, before they opened the first door on their right.

* * *

Kisara noticed that even though Kaiba had visited this place before, even he couldn't keep his surprise hidden as they entered this room.

The wall to their right consisted of nothing but tall windows at the same height as the ceiling, just like a window wall, so that they had a view of the whole ocean.

Jonouchi gave a scream of joy as he noticed the huge dining table in the middle of the room which was stacked with food to the last millimetre, five tall royal chairs surrounding it, four of them facing each other on the long sides of the table and one standing by itself at the short side of it.

There were roasted potatoes, turkey, chicken, soup, all kinds of vegetables and beverages, and bottles of expensive red wine placed all over the table.

Despite a big chandelier lightning up the room, there were candle lights placed here and there over the table.

Kisara, Kaiba and Yugi stopped dead at the threshold.

Speechless, they all took in the sight of the dining table, now watching a delirious Jonouchi grabbing one of the plates, running all around the table, filling his plate with as much food as it could possibly take.

It wasn't until Kisara looked towards the other end of the room that she noticed a wine-red door whose handle was being pushed down, indicating that somebody was entering the room.

"Seto", Kisara murmured, nudging his arm, nodding towards the door at the other side of the room.

* * *

Kaiba jumped as he felt Kisara's hand touch his arm, and once again he felt his heart leap.

He looked down at her, then towards the door at the other side of the room.

Jonouchi was standing right next to the table, about to shove a huge piece of turkey down his throat, as they all heard the door on the other side of the room open.

And through it emerged the man towards whom Kaiba had felt a burning hatred for ever since he first had decided to meddle in his affairs.

Pegasus J. Crawford.

Dressed in his usual red tuxedo with his white hair reaching his shoulders, covering his left eye in which Kaiba knew that odd Sennen Eye sat, he looked just like his arrogant self.

Pegasus stopped a few meters in front of the door, looking at the four of them as he reached out his arms, as if wanting to embrace them all, before he said, "My dear Duelists, it greatly pleases me that you could all come here tonight."

"COME?!", Yugi cried out. "You nearly forced us to, saying-" "Now, now Yugi-boy, let's not be like that." Pegasus interrupted him, with the air of a parent correcting its child.

Pegasus turned to Jonouchi, who had frozen with the plate in his hands.

"Jonouchi Katsuya, I remember you, you placed second in my Duelist Kingdom tournament, didn't you now?" Pegasus said in his posh voice.

Jonouchi nodded frantically with his mouth full of something Kaiba really didn't want to know what it was.

Pegasus smiled at Jonouchi, before turning and walking towards Yugi, Kaiba and Kisara.

"Aah, Yugi Mutou, congratulations on your victory in my Tournament. It pleases me that you are here."

Yugi was quiet, before saying, "Just tell us why you have told us to come here, Pegasus."

Pegasus chuckled, and merely said, "In due time, Yugi-boy, in due time…"

He then turned to Kaiba, who felt anger flare up inside of him as Pegasus met his eyes. How dared he face him? After all he'd done to insult KaibaCorp, and thereby insulting Kaiba as well?

"Seto Kaiba…" Pegasus said slowly.

"The man with the Blue Eyes…"

Pegasus stopped to laugh at his own joke, his laughter sounding sadly lonely, even a little ghastly as it echoed hollowly in the grand room.

Pegasus stopped laughing abruptly before looking at Kaiba again.

"Pegasus, quit with the acting already, you can't fool me. Tell us why you have brought us here." Kaiba demanded, his eyes narrowed.

Pegasus smiled at him, holding his gaze for a few seconds before turning to Kisara.

Kaiba suddenly felt an urge to get Kisara someplace else, as long as she wasn't in the presence of Pegasus.

_He_ wasn't afraid of him, but Kisara, who'd never met Pegasus before, had really no idea of knowing how far Pegasus would go to achieve his goals.

And then Kaiba realised something.

Since when had he been so very protective about Kisara?

"So you are Kisara…" Pegasus said slowly. "I have heard so much about you and your impressive Dueling skills."

Kaiba looked at Kisara, who had frozen, and was watching Pegasus apprehensively.

Was that fear showing in her blue eyes?

And Kaiba understood why.

Every Duel Kisara had ever fought had been won using a fake identity.

So if Kisara was who Pegasus thought she was, how could he have found out her real identity?

Pegasus noticed his advantage over Kisara, and smiled politely at her before reaching forward, taking her hand in his, bowing down to kiss it.

Kaiba felt his insides twist in anger at the sight, and he had to squeeze his right hand really tightly around the handle of his suitcase to stop himself from punching Pegasus right in the face.

Pegasus let go of Kisara's hand, which limply fell to her side as she just stood there, seemingly paralysed.

Pegasus asked quietly, "What is your surname, Kisara?"

She just blinked, before replying, "Even if I knew it I wouldn't give it to you, Pegasus."

And even though her eyes showed fear, her voice was steady.

Pegasus did not seem interested in pressing her further, he merely held Kisara's gaze in his for a while, as if examining her the way a predator does before jumping onto its prey, before he turned around.

Just as he did so, Kaiba thought he saw his Sennen Eye gleam threateningly from underneath its curtain of white hair.

Kaiba froze, fearing that Pegasus had done something to Kisara.

He looked at her, before bending down a little, asking in a low voice, "Are you okay?"

His sudden concern did not seem to surprise her as she whispered back, "He scares me, that's all. But I'm fine."

Kaiba looked at her; she looked quite shaken and was trembling lightly, her blue eyes wide as they looked at Pegasus' back.

Unable to think of what to say to her, Kaiba looked up as Pegasus had reached the farthest end of the table.

"I understand that you must all be very hungry, having climbed all those staircases. Do help yourselves."

Pegasus sat down in the chair at the shortest end of the table, and Jonouchi quickly followed his example, nodding frantically at Yugi with a completely terrified look on his face.

The other three reluctantly followed his example, placing their luggage near the door before walking to the table.

Yugi sat down to face Jonouchi, which left Kaiba and Kisara facing each other.

'Just as they sat down, their eyes met for a second, and Kaiba felt himself blush again.

Well damn it.

* * *

Kisara looked down at her empty plate, trying to take several deep breaths to calm herself down.

She closed her eyes for a short moment, though nothing but panic surged through her mind.

How could Pegasus possibly know who she was when no one but Seto knew of her history in terms of Dueling?

Maybe she was simply overreacting… Perhaps all she needed was a bit of food.

Come to think of it, she hadn't had anything to eat in almost nine hours.

She looked out of one of the big windows and noticed that the moon had risen, and that a few stars had appeared in the night sky. It had to be quite late.

She once again looked down at her depressingly empty plate, and was just about to reach for a bowl full of rice when Seto caught her eyes, giving her a meaning look with raised eyebrows.

She froze, and his earlier words rang in her ears.

"_Know that he is made of nothing but lies and deceit, and that is exactly what he uses to get to people_."

Kisara hesitated, before pulling back, trying to ignore the craving rumbling in her stomach.

But for all she knew, Pegasus could have poisoned the food.

She noticed that neither Yugi nor Seto had taken anything to eat, both of them just sat there, eyeing Pegasus suspiciously.

Only Jonouchi kept eating as if he hadn't seen food in days.

Perhaps she was just being paranoid, but she didn't want to take any risks.

Pegasus filled a glass with red wine for himself, starting to sip from it, but soon he could no longer ignore the fact that Yugi and Seto was staring at him.

He put down his wine glass before letting out a sigh with closed eyes. Then he spoke.

"I suppose the four of you would like to know why I brought you here."

He opened his eyes and met theirs individually, and Kisara felt herself tremble again as Pegasus looked straight at her before he closed his eyes.

"My friends… the truth is this. I despise all of you deeply. Especially you, Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba."

There was a loud crash as several porcelain plates fell onto the floor as Seto and Yugi violently rose from their chairs at the same time, knocking them backwards.

None of them bothered to look at the other one, but both of them glared at Pegasus, before Yugi cried out, "Then why did you invite us here?! I should have known you were planning something, that letter was suspicious enough, Pegasus!"

"Yeah, what's the deal?!" Jonouchi chimed in, though he remained seated.

Pegasus stayed quiet, before Seto said, "Look Pegasus, I have no idea why you told all of us to come here, but one thing I _do _know is that you've held a grudge against me for a really long time. This is between you and me. So get it out so that we can leave this godforsaken place."

Pegasus looked at Seto, before he said, as if trying to earn forgiveness, "My dear Kaiba-boy, what did I do to inspire such hatred when-"

"Hmm, let's see." Seto interrupted, "You kidnapped my brother, you tried taking over my company, your presence annoys me and you're wasting my time. I'm a busy man, as you very well know."

Ignoring Seto's rant, Pegasus said, "Please, let me explain the whole story." and Yugi and Seto fell silent, seemingly against their wills.

* * *

"As you all know, I am the creator of the game of Duel Monsters," Pegasus began, with the air of a storyteller telling a story to kindergarten children.

Kisara glanced at Seto to see him roll his eyes.

"I was the most popular man in Japan, I had everything. A huge, multinational company, supreme Dueling skills, fame, money… That was, until you showed up."

Pegasus' voice grew bitter, and he glared at Yugi and Seto.

"Yugi Muto, when you entered first place in my Duelist Kingdom Tournament I knew you were a threat. Your Dueling skills were at level with mine."

Pegasus was quiet for a moment, before quickly adding, "Well, the same goes for you, Seto Kaiba but we'll get to that later." while waving his hand around as if trying to get rid of an irksome fly.

"I knew that if your reputation as a Duelist were to rise any further, it would outshine mine. Oh, the horror!"

Pegasus made an overly dramatic gesture before turning to Seto.

"As if that wasn't enough to rub my balances, you, Seto Kaiba, took KaibaCorp to new heights, and thanks to your business skills, it is now the world's largest gaming company. What with your newly produced Duel Disks, the game of Duel Monsters has been taken to the next level. Also, it cannot be avoided that you too, Kaiba-boy, are an excellent Duelist. Every time you Summon your Blue Eyes White Dragons, the audience is in for a spectacular show!"

Pegasus made a fake bow in Seto's direction as Jonouchi doubled over in what looked like silent laughter.

Pegasus ignored him and continued, "As for you, Jonouchi and Kisara, both of you have also become extraordinarily strong Duelists of late. You're all threatening my reputation."

"What's your point, Pegasus?" Seto asked, leaning forward while placing his hands on the table, and Kisara, due to years of having known this man, knew that Seto was close to his breaking point.

Pegasus replied, "My point is that the two of you, Yugi and Kaiba-boy have gotten in my way for far too long. In fact, all four of you have, and I have now decided to put you out of my way for the last time."

Now Kisara and Jonouchi rose from their chairs as well, and Jonouchi screamed, "Wait, are you going to kill us?!"

"Jonouchi, calm down." Yugi said, but Pegasus chuckled, and said, "No, you blond buffoon. I shall let the four of you have a Duel."

This came so suddenly that all four of them fell silent.

Pegasus nodded before continuing, "You heard me correctly, I shall let the four of you hold a Duel against each other, two on two, and the two winners will then decide who shall face me alone in a decisive Duel. The only hatch is that that the losers of the previous Duel will lose slightly more than just their pride."

"They will also lose their soul to me."

As if he couldn't have picked a better timing to do so, Pegasus laughed while waving his hair, so that his Sennen Eye became fully visible where it rested in its socket.

Kisara shuddered against her will, but kept her gaze steadily at Pegasus.

She was not going to let this man break her spirit.

Even if he'd somehow found out who she was.

Before she knew it, she'd opened her mouth, speaking directly to Pegasus.

"And the Duelists who loses their souls… Will they be able to retrieve them?"

Pegasus chuckled.

"Why yes, my dear Kisara, an excellent question! Of course they will… But only if the winner of your little Duel manages to defeat me, that is. I think that ought to prove to you that it is not a very wise idea to get in my way."

Pegasus raised his glass of wine, saluting each one of them silently before emptying it.

"But it is very late now, and you will need all the energy you can muster before tomorrow's Duel. When you leave this room one of my guards will hand you the keys to your rooms, I advise you to settle yourself in before you go to sleep. Make sure to rest yourselves properly."

"You will need it."

Pegasus chuckled darkly before pouring more wine into his glass.

Without another word, all four Duelists walked from the table and picked up their luggage before leaving the room.

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.**

**I write this following the Japanese anime, meaning that all characters/Duel monsters will have their Japanese names. The "Millennium Items" will be replaced with "Sennen Items", Joey will be Jonouchi, Téa will be Anzu, Tristan = Honda, and so on... **

**This is my Seto Kaiba x Kisara fanfiction, but it will revolve around a bit more than just the two of them.****So, these events take place after the Duelist Kingdom arc, but before Legendary Heroes. Kaiba remains the World Champion of Duel Monsters. The Duelist Kingdom tournament has been held, but Pegasus did not use it as a cover-up to steal the Sennen Puzzle, it was just a regular tournament. Meaning neither Kaiba, Mokuba nor Sugoroku Mutou had their souls taken. Pegasus did kidnap Mokuba though, and while him and Yugi faced off in the finals (which did not include a Dark Game) Kaiba rescued Mokuba. So see it as a regular tournament without any occult-based events. (As Seto Kaiba would put it.) xD Pegasus still owns the Sennen Eye though; and yes, he can read people's minds with it.**

**In this story, neither Kisara nor Kaiba has any connection to Ancient Egypt. Kisara has no connection to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon either. Though she _has_ a somewhat alike "mental" connection to another Duel Monster, something that will be clear as the story progresses.**

**Oh, and also; when the story's written out of any character's perspective but Yugi's, they will always be addressing him as "Yugi" but in moments such as Duels, or moments filled with tension and/or other feels like that; it will be Yami whom they are talking to. And when the story is read out of Kisara's perspective, she always addresses Kaiba with "Seto". Every other character (well, except Mokuba) calls him by his surname. Please keep these things in mind as you read. ^^**

******You would also be very kind as to give me a review of your thoughts!**

**On with the story! Chapter four! **

_**Chapter four- Before the Duel**_

"So this will be, like, a cage match?" Jonouchi asked the rest of the group as they'd gotten their room keys and walked towards their rooms.

"Well if you mean the fact that this is a Duel Monsters Duel and not wrestling, and the fact that we've been forced to fight until one of us escapes with his or her soul unharmed, then yes, this will probably be like a cage match." Seto answered sarcastically.

"Do I detect sarcasm, rich boy?" Jonouchi replied.

Kisara and Yugi looked at each other and couldn't help but smile apologetically.

It was a bit amusing, but also quite tiring to hear Seto and Jonouchi argue all the time.

Seto did not reply to Jonouchi's comment, but merely kept walking, and they all remained silent until Yugi and Jonouchi stopped at their rooms, which lay right next to one another.

As they unlocked their doors, Yugi said, "Well, goodnight to both of you. May the best Duelist win tomorrow."

He could easily have smiled while saying it, wishing them all the best of luck, but Kisara noticed that Yugi seemed worried.

Seto ignored his wish, but Kisara nodded, wishing them a good night as well, before they closed the doors to their rooms.

Kisara and Seto kept walking through the corridors, following the directions given to them by the bodyguard who had handed them their keys.

Seto was the one to break the silence.

"So, tell me… what do you think of Pegasus?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kisara was quiet for a bit, for she couldn't quite find a word that described Pegasus in a proper way. He was the oddest person she had ever met.

Then she looked up at Seto.

"A maniac…?"

To her surprise, Seto started laughing, a sound that made Kisara's insides feel warm and light.

"I guess you could say that's a fairly good description." Seto said, suddenly having gone all serious again.

"He's nothing but a huge waste of time, and that goes for every time you meet him."

"You've met him before? It sounded that way in the dining hall." Kisara asked, just as Seto stopped in front of two doors, handing her her key.

"We're here." he said. "Why don't you drop of your stuff in your room before coming in to me and I'll tell you all the details."

Kisara thought she saw Seto blush, and she felt herself blush as well as she smiled at his idea before turning around, fumbling with the key to her room.

They both unlocked their doors and Kisara went inside.

The room was quite small, obviously meant for one person only, but it was really adorable too.

The walls had an ocean blue colour to them, and she had a window wall opposite of her so that she had a view of the ocean, the moon reflecting on its surface.

She threw her bag onto the bed in the corner, turning on the lights as she packed up a few of her things.

As she went through her satchel, she came across her Deck.

She looked at it for a while, wondering if she should bring it to Seto, before deciding to do so, putting it in her dress pocket.

She turned off the lights again and grabbed her key, about to lock her door while she was going to be in Seto's room, but the sight of the moon and the starry sky above the ocean captivated her, and she found herself just standing there, looking out at the beautiful sight.

It was only then that she realised how very tired and hungry she was.

Her stomach ached from lack of food, and she glanced at the clock hanging at the wall.

It was 10.30 pm.

But right now, her curiosity at hearing Seto's story outweighed her physical needs, so before she could change her mind, she walked out of her room and locked the door behind her.

She glanced into Seto's room, stopping at his threshold.

His room looked just like a mirrored copy of hers, the beautiful moon shining in through the windows, its light being so strong that the small room was brightly illuminated without the use of any lamps.

But what struck her as even more handsome than the moon was Seto.

He was sitting in the couch with his legs crossed, his opened suitcase taking up most of the small coffee table in front of him, the moonlight enlightening his profile.

He seemed to be going through his Deck, for what seemed like half of his cards laid spread out in neat rows on the coffee table.

He was frowning, his left elbow resting on his leg as he rested his jaw on his left hand.

For a moment, Kisara forgot all about tomorrow's important Duel, and the fact that their souls were at stake in what could be the most dangerous game of Duel Monsters she'd ever played.

All she could see and think of was Seto, and how stunning he looked at that moment, how perfect all of his features looked.

She immediately felt her heart go into overdrive, her cheeks getting warmer as she eyed his brown hair, his blue eyes, all of his features, and she couldn't help but admire how focused he seemed to be on what he was doing.

* * *

Kaiba's obsession with beating Yugi had never been stronger than it was tonight.

Half of his Deck was widely spread out over the small space on the coffee table that wasn't occupied by his suitcase.

He was right in the middle of coming up with a strategy that was completely fool proof.

He felt the hate towards his rival pulse inside of him, almost like constant heartbeats.

"_I have to defeat Yugi… I have to defeat Yugi…"_

Everyone else seemed to believe that they could lose their souls if they lost the Duel…

Kaiba didn't believe for a second in that magic mumbo-jumbo Pegasus spoke of.

Speaking of which, he couldn't help but wonder what the other three Duelists were doing at this moment.

He suspected that Yugi and Jonouchi were fast asleep, and it made him smirk. It would be all the easier to defeat them if they hadn't come up with a strategy.

"_Well, it's their_ _loss…_" Kaiba thought as he picked up a few cards, examining them.

He then came to think of Kisara, and how he'd told her he'd tell her about his past with Pegasus.

Wondering where the hell the girl could be, he thought he heard a sound coming from the entrance to his room.

He looked up, and froze.

Kisara was standing in his doorway, looking straight at him, a blush at her pale cheeks, her blue eyes making him feel submerged under her gaze.

Damn… She really looked stunning. He was so overwhelmed by her appearance that he forgot to become upset over the feelings he was comprehending for her.

Feelings he had no idea how to handle.

He had never really noticed how striking she looked in that black short dress, or how pretty all her features were.

There was that strange feeling again… His heart started beating faster and faster, and he felt himself getting really warm.

Kaiba noticed that she jumped a little as he looked back at her, but he nodded at the free couch space, indicating for her to take a seat next to him, and even though he tried to keep a cool and composed exterior, he felt his heart skip several beats at the thought of her sitting so close to him when they were the only people in the room.

* * *

Kisara entered his room and gently closed the door behind her.

She then walked towards the couch and sat down next to Seto, fully aware that their legs were only a few centimetres from each other.

She watched as Seto picked up his Deck before saying, "Preparing for tomorrow, huh?"

Seto nodded, before putting his Deck in the pocket of his white trench coat.

He then looked at her, his blue eyes meeting hers, and she had that feeling of him looking straight through her once again, as if he could see through all of her deepest secrets.

"Are you tired?" he then asked, his eyes a bit narrowed.

Kisara nodded, and she couldn't help but add, "And hungry too."

She smiled apologetically at him.

Seto raised his eyebrows before he put one hand into his suitcase, it being positioned in such a way so that she couldn't see what was in it, but soon he pulled out several sandwiches wrapped in foil, throwing one straight into her lap without looking at her.

Kisara suddenly had a brief mental image of Seto standing in a kitchen, wearing a red-and-white apron, humming while preparing sandwiches.

The image was so bizarre that she had to focus really hard not to burst out into laughter.

Seto seemed to notice and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Then, as if he could read her mind, he said, "Mokuba made these right before I left."

He was quiet for a bit while Kisara unwrapped her sandwich, looking at him.

Seto then broke the silence by saying, "Don't trust Pegasus." and his warning came so suddenly, his tone of voice so serious when he said it, that Kisara just stared at him.

"I did once, and it cost me greatly."

He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he dived into his suitcase once again, pulling out a can of coke and a thermos.

He handed her the coke, which she immediately pulled open and drank from, and by the time she'd drained half the can, Seto had poured a healthy amount of black coffee into the lid of the thermos.

He unwrapped a sandwich for himself, putting it on the coffee table before he turned to face her, crossing his hands, resting his jaw on top of them as he looked at her.

Kisara was suddenly struck by the revelation that he looked like a real businessman before he said,

"Me and Pegasus go way back. It started back when I'd just inherited KaibaCorp. Pegasus got wind of the fact that I was the one in charge, and so he kept sending me letters and invitations to come to his island."

Seto took a bite out of his sandwich and Kisara followed his example, making a mental note to commend Mokuba for his excellent cooking skills.

"Pegasus kept asking me to pay him a visit, wanting to hear how I was doing running the company, he kept offering to give me ideas about how I could improve my skills as a businessman."

Seto snorted, looking out the window.

Kisara took another bite out of her sandwich, staying quiet while waiting for him to speak again.

"What Pegasus didn't know at the time is that I am exactly as good at Dueling as I am in terms of business. He challenged me to a Duel, betting that the winner could claim ownership over KaibaCorp, but thanks to my Dueling skills, he lost."

Seto grabbed the thermos-lid full of coffee, and while he drank from it, Kisara got time to chuckle silently at his evident ego.

Anyone who knew Seto Kaiba hated the slightly overgrown ego of his.

In her eyes it was quite adorable.

Nodding towards the thermos full of coffee, she asked, eyebrows raised, "Are you planning to stay up all night?"

Seto drained the thermos-lid before he refilled it.

"As long as it is necessary in order for me to come up with a strategy to beat Yugi."

He took a bite out of his sandwich, carefully chewing and swallowing before continuing his story.

"So I went back to KaibaCorp, continuing to run it, and quite some time passed until I heard that Pegasus was announcing a Tournament, named rightly 'Duelist Kingdom Tournament'. I would have entered, but since I already knew that I had the strength to beat Pegasus, I saw it as nothing but a waste of time. I suppose he thought that by easily defeating the winner, he could hide or cover up the fact that he suffered his first loss to me."

Kisara thought she saw something that unmistakably looked like pride in Seto's eyes.

She smiled lightly at him before bending forward towards the coffee table, getting ready to grab another sandwich.

Just as she did so, she felt her leg stroke against Seto's, and knowing her hair would shield her face from his view, she closed her eyes for one small second, relishing in the feel of their touch.

She didn't need a mirror to know that she probably was blushing, and when she sat back up she was being extra careful to keep her head slightly bent down, so that Seto wouldn't be able to see her red cheeks.

She pretended to fumble a bit with the foil wrapped around the sandwich, hoping her blush would disappear in that small amount of time, and when she looked at Seto, she hoped her eyes wouldn't give anything away as she took a bite out of the sandwich.

To her surprise, Seto looked somewhat perplexed, and Kisara really hoped she wasn't imagining that blush on his cheeks.

He coughed once before continuing to speak, "Only that Pegasus used the Tournament as a cover-up for kidnapping Mokuba. One afternoon, the same day as I got back home after having been at a business meeting in America, Pegasus called me on my laptop, showing me Mokuba on camera, how he was bound and chained in one of the castle's dungeon cells."

Seto quietened for a little bit, and Kisara waited for him to start speaking once more.

"Well… if you haven't heard the story already, Yugi and his friends were already there and while Yugi kept Pegasus busy while Dueling him, I took a trip down to the dungeons and rescued Mokuba. That happened several months ago, and well… now we're here."

Seto let out a tired sigh, looking out the windows.

He then turned to Kisara, asking her, "Are you afraid of tomorrow's Duel?" before taking a bite of his sandwich, eyeing her closely.

Kisara looked down for a second, before she met his gaze, replying, "Yes. Losing my soul isn't really something I'm all enthusiastic about."

Seto swallowed the last of his sandwich before saying, "Personally, I don't believe in anything Pegasus says. I have my reasons."

Kisara smiled at his comment, looking out the window absentmindedly.

There was silence, until Seto asked her, "So, judging from what you told me on the plane, you mean to tell me you've never lost a single Duel?"

Kisara smiled a little, looking at him.

"Not a single one."

Then her smile faded, and she looked down.

"Though I suppose that could all change tomorrow."

"I doubt it." Seto replied after a few seconds silence, leaning back into the couch.

"Pegasus knows that teamwork's not my thing. Everything I went through that's gotten me this far in life, all the challenges I've had to face, I've faced them alone. By myself. I suppose it's the same for you?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows ever so little.

She looked at him, wondering what he could mean with his question, because she had a feeling that his question had a lot more depth to it than he made it sound.

But she didn't have the energy to start some kind of deep conversation, so she just nodded silently.

"Along with my Deck." she added.

Kisara then quickly covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a yawn.

She hadn't realised how tired she was, Seto's story had kept her awake.

She imagined how wonderful it would feel to crawl up right next to Seto, falling asleep right next to him as he'd wrap his arms around her, hold her close to him…

Her fantasy was interrupted as Seto spoke, while looking out at the dark ocean,

"About us working as a team tomorrow… I'd appreciate it if you didn't get too involved in this whole "teamwork strategy" thing that Yugi and the mutt constantly preaches about. Just Duel with all you've got and let me do what I do best."

"What, brag about your Dueling skills?" Kisara grinned jokingly.

Seto narrowed his eyes, and she couldn't help but laugh, but her laughter was cut short by another yawn.

"I better go to bed if I wish to be well-rested tomorrow. Wouldn't want to lose my soul because of something as inane as lack of sleep." Kisara said, standing up, brushing sandwich crumbles off the front of her dress.

Seto nodded before he stood up as well, snapping his suitcase shut with that unmistakable clicking sound.

Kisara walked towards the door, opening it, the bright light from the illuminated corridor blinding her, causing her to blink rapidly a few times before she turned around, stifling a gasp just in time as she realised how close she and Seto were standing.

"Well, good luck tomorrow" he said, looking down at her with his blue eyes.

Kisara felt oddly numb, but she felt her lips pull themselves into a smile, and she replied, "You too".

Then, without really knowing what she was doing, her right hand reached forward, grabbing hold of his.

She heard Seto gasp, and she kept looking up at him, knowing she had a blush at her cheeks, but oddly enough, she didn't care.

For all she knew she could lose her soul tomorrow, and then she'd never see Seto again.

She saw that he blushed as well, and she made sure to carefully memorise the feeling of his hand in hers, his warm skin almost burning against hers, before she said, "Goodnight, Seto" letting go of his hand as she turned around, unlocking her door.

She heard him reply, "Goodnight, Kisara" and felt a shiver down her spine as he said her name.

She smiled as she walked into her room, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Kaiba stood frozen at his threshold, looking down at his left hand which felt like it was on fire, the one that Kisara had touched, even held, only seconds ago.

Strange… During the entire time they'd sat and talked, he'd felt completely fine, actually at ease, relaxed, something he never felt these days.

As if that wasn't enough, now that she'd left, even though there was nothing but a mere wall separating them, he felt empty and hollow…

Why was that?

He wanted to go after her, knock at her door and just…

Just see her.

Just watch her pretty face and those blue eyes and… Wait.

What the hell was he thinking?

Kaiba shook his head before walking back into his room, decisively locking the door behind him.

He walked over to the window wall, putting his hands and forehead against it, taking a deep breath while looking out at the black ocean.

It didn't help.

He sat down in the couch, finishing all the coffee that was left in the thermos.

He felt it burn in his throat.

Didn't help either.

His left hand was still shaking lightly.

Kaiba struck his fist onto the coffee table, nearly crying out in frustration.

This was unlike anything he'd ever felt before; he hated having no control over his emotions, he hated situations when he had no idea of what was going on.

"_Still…_" Kaiba thought as he sat up, it may be unlike anything he'd ever felt before, but this thing he felt whenever Kisara was in his presence…

The feeling itself didn't trouble him.

On the contrary, any time she looked at him, or any time she spoke his name, Kaiba felt this pleasant shiver down his spine, together with a light, tickling feeling inside his gut.

"_This has to be why people call it 'the butterflies'…_" Kaiba thought grimly to himself.

Then he remembered all those hours earlier, when Pegasus had kissed Kisara's hand, and how furious he'd felt watching it.

Had it been jealousy, back then?

Had he secretly been wanting to be the one to do it instead?

He remembered having wanted to take her off someplace else, away from Pegasus, in case she might have come to harm…

Kaiba sighed deeply.

Up until now, he had never been that protective about Kisara, but now…

Kaiba felt as if his mind had gone numb, and he couldn't feel anymore, as if all his emotions had been turned into stone, petrified, unallowed to swim around freely inside his mind…

He felt only one thing, and that was his feelings for Kisara.

He could hardly stop thinking about her.

Her face, her eyes, the way her cold skin felt against his…

Kaiba grabbed his hair with his hands, trying to control his breathing, which had sped up as soon as Kisara had entered his mind.

He closed his eyes, trying to think of something else, and strangely, it worked as he started to go through his strategy to beat Yugi the following day.

Kaiba then decided to go to bed, but as he later laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling, he found Kisara having entered his mind yet again, and he closed his eyes as he tried to drift off to sleep, the corners of his mouth drifting upwards against his will as he imagined what it would feel like to hold a sleeping Kisara in his arms.

_**To be continued...**_


End file.
